We Sing Encore Hands-On Preview

For those not in the know, We Sing, the only vocal game to support four player singing action, was released last year. Less than a year later, Nordic Games have decided that it's about time for the game to have a second edition, which sees the arrival of We Sing Encore. Gaming Union was fortunate enough to see the game at both E3 and an exclusive event in London for some extensive hands-on time.

First thing's first, anyone who played the original title will feel right at home with We Sing Encore. Very little has changed in the way of presentation and all of the old modes are still present in this version of the game. There is of course a completely different track-listing, with 30 new core songs and 10 songs which are region specific. Naturally, at E3, the obvious choice was to sing Three Lions by The Lightning Seeds, but in hindsight, perhaps being proudly English wasn't such a great idea.

It did offer a glimpse of some of the new features though. The presentation, while mostly the same, has been spruced up a little bit. Effects have been added to the notes so that players know when they've finished, but there still seems to be a bit of lag between the game and the input microphones. Score amplifiers have also been added to make the game a bit more competitive. Key lyrics throughout the song have been assigned x5 or x10 values and these are called 'Star Notes'. The inclusion of these mean it's possible to catch-up with opponents even if the right notes just hadn't been hit beforehand.

On the subject of hitting notes, We Sing Encore is attempting to help people touch up their singing ability. There are "singing lessons" included in the game, which look to help people learn their vocal range and become more consistent with their pitch sustainability. There are thirty lessons in all, which range from simply holding a note, to becoming much more complicated. The final lesson may be challenging for even hardened professionals.

What We Sing brought to the table, We Sing Encore looks to bring again - fun with some friends. There are quite a few new modes, a completely new range of songs and as before, the ability to play with up to three friends all at the same time. It's coming out exclusively on the Nintendo Wii next month, so be sure to check out our full review to find out more about the game.